Deep Sky West Remote Observatory (DSW) is a remote astrophotography observatory complex situated on Rowe Mesa in Rowe, New Mexico. This 35-acre high altitude site (elevation 7,400 feet) offers pristine dark skies, excellent seeing, and weather conditions coveted by all imagers. The complex was developed to make remote imaging and […]
CFF Telescopes Apo Refractor Telescopes Whether you are a resolute visual observer or dedicated astro-imager, refractor telescopes offer unique advantages. But, the physics of light being what they are, no single refractor is best at both pursuits, and given the understandable recent market focus on refractors for astrophotography, those of […]
How An Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector Works Over the past few years, there has been a revolution in planetary imaging among amateur astronomers. CCD sensors with high sensitivity have made it possible to rapidly obtain large numbers of short-exposure images of the planets. This coupled with powerful computers has allowed amateur […]
By Greg Marshall, Wa-chur-ed Observatory: Greg Marshall is an amateur astro-photographer and the owner of Wa-chur-ed Observatory, a small business that offers both astro-photo art and tools for astronomy. He has an MS degree in Computer Science and 35 years of experience in electronics engineering, specializing in image processing. The […]
Explore Scientific ES 80 ED Triplet APO Review Explore Scientific is known for refracting telescopes, quality eyepieces, the David H. Levy Comet Hunter , a Maksutov-Newtonian telescope and Twilight I and II alt-azimuth mounts. I own a Twilight II mount and enjoy using it with various small refractors and […]
Sharing the Cost of Remote Observatory Rental Remote imaging promises virtually hundreds of clear nights a year under dark skies and excellent seeing – conditions that allow very deep images. Most of us look into imaging at a remote site, take one look at the costs, and assume it cannot […]
By John O’Neill John O’Neill is a retired advertising and marketing consultant living in Seminole, Florida and is a member of the St. Petersburg Astronomy Club. Over seventeen years ago, he started into the world of astro imaging, using film, then upgraded to CCD cameras with color filters. Visit his […]
By Dave Snay David Snay is a retired software engineer living in central Massachusetts. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has been an astronomer and astrophotographer for more than 15 years. David currently pursues fine art photography, specializing in traditional black/white images. He also is involved in solar outreach. […]
By Dr. James R. Dire Dr. James Dire has an M.S. in physics from the University of Central Florida and a M.A. and Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University, both in planetary science and is an associate provost at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Spring, N.C., and a professor of physics […]
With each new advancement in the technology available to amateur astronomers, the line between amateur and professional – already barely distinguishable – is further blurred. There may be no better example than the feats of the Backyard Observatory Supernova Search (with the enviable acronym, “BOSS”). Boss represents an amateur collaboration […]
The SBIG STXL series is a high performance astro imaging platform supporting large format CCD sensors. It includes support for self-guiding filter wheels, and the AO-X adaptive optics accessory. The STXL-11002M uses the popular 35 mm, 11 megapixel KAI-11002 sensor. The STXL-16200 is a 16 megapixel, APS format camera. The […]
By Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor of Astronomy Technology Today Telescope Support Systems’ website describes the company as, “… founded by a pair of guys who live and breathe astrophotography. Between us, we have over 40 years of experience. While we currently shoot with CCDs and DSLRs, a peek in our […]